Apparatus for producing lower-boiling-point hydrocarbons



April 7, 1931. c, P. DuBBs APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LOWER BOILING POINT HYDROGARBONS Original Filed March '11, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet C. P. DUBBS April 7, 1931.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LOWER BOILING 4POINT HYDROCARBONS Original Filed March 11, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 7, 1931. c. i. DuBBs APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LOWER BOILING POINT HYDROCARBONS original Filed Mar@ 11, 1918 3 Sheets-Sheet- .3

Patented Apr. 7, 1931A PATENT oFFlcE UNITED STATES CARBON P. DUBBS, OF WILHETTE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTHl DAKOTA APPARATUS FOB PBODUCING LOWEBfBOILING-POINT HYDEOCABBONS l Application illed' Iarch 11, 1918, Serial No. 221,622. Renewed Hay 20, 1924.

culation through the coil and tubes, it is heatp ed in the coil, and while passingthrough the tubes, the vapors produced are liberated and pass to and through a condenser, the whole being maintained under pressure; to 1provide an apparatus in which the heating o the oil under treatment is accomplished in the heating coils and said oil kept in rapid circulation while undergoing this treatment and discharged into the higher end of the inclined distilling tubes, said distilling tubes being inclined suiiiciently to cause the oil to ilow to the bottom thereof as rapidly as the pump can pick 'it up and force such oil back through the heating tubes; to provide means for readily regulating the rate o circulation of this oil and the pressure maintained on the apparatus; to providefan apparatusrfor operating continuously; to provide an apparatus wherein advantage can be taken y varying the speed of the circulation of the oil for settling the free carbon of thesame,` and means for collecting said free carbon; toprovide an a paratus m'which those products that are on y partly converted or reduced to the desired low boiling point are returned and further circulated through the heating and distilling tubes; to provide an apparatus where, by means of controlled air or otherwise cooled condensers, the grade of distillate permitted to ass from the system is controlled, and suc distillate lacking the desired low boiling point is condensed and automatically returned to the distilling coils and further treated; to provide means whereby the free carbon produced can be settled out and removed without interrupting the operation of the process; to provide an apparatus by means of which certain of the condensed vapors are returned directly to the settling tanks to be retreated; to provide, in general an apparatus of the character referred to.

I have also provided in the present application a means whereby the heating tubes and distilling tubes are. positioned in the same furnace and the temperature of the latter controlled so as to be maintained at a lower temperature than that temperature maintained 1n the ortion of the furnace where the heattu s are contained.

n the drawings-z Fi 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, 65 part y in section and partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view, showing one end of the distilling coils, the carbonl settling tanks and circulatlng pump and connections.

Fig. 3 is one end view of the heating and 7 distilling tubes and showing the side view of the settling tanks, pump and connections.

Referring to the drawings, A-l and A-2 are the furnaces in which the heating tubes and distilling tubes are positioned. A-3 is a tunnel through which the fire passes for heating these furnaces, the object of this tunnel being to prevent the flames from coming in direct contact with any of the tubes. A-4 shows a flueconnecting the furnaces 80 withv the stack A5.- A- is -a' baiile-,wall with numerous openings therein. A--7 is an arch in which are openings designated at A-8 which openings are controlled by dampers A-9. Y

B-l'constitutes substantially level heating tubes positioned in the 'furnaces A-2. B-2 constitutes parallel inclined 'distilling tubes positioned in the furnaces A-L The coil B-l can be made up by the use of return bends as shown at B3. The distilling coils B-2, at the lowerend, enter into the header C-l which header enters into the manifold C--2 and on which is positioned valves C- 3 v and C-4 and which manifold connects with settling tanks C-5 and C-6 and has a discharge on the oppositeend C-7, on which are positioned valves marked C418 and C-19. This discharge marked 0 7 connects with suction line C-8 connected with pump 10 F-l, operated by motor F-2. On the bottom of tanks @-5 and @-6 is draw-oil' line @-9 havingl positioned on it valves G-l() and @-11 and pressure regulating valve @-12. @-13, @-14, @-15 and @-16 are glass liquid level gauges. @-17 are manhole plates positioned on tanks @-5 and G-G.

1 is a vapor line coming out of the tanks @-5 and @-6 and on said vapor line are positioned valves D-2 and D-3.

E-l and E-2 are steam lines having positioned on them valves E-4 and E-5.

G-l is the discharge line from the pump F -1 to the heating coils B-l and on line G-l is pressure gauge G-2 and also on same line is positioned valve G-3.

H-l is the supply line for raw material and on this line is positioned valve lai-2. This line enters into line G-Il.

K-l is the discharge line from the heating coils B-l and which line connects to a manifold K-2 which manifold has branches entering into the upper end of the distilling tubes marked B-2. p

L-1,L-2,L-3, L-4, L- and L-6 are pyrometers. y

M-l and M-2 are pressure gauges.

N-l are vapor lines coming from each of the inclined tubes marked B-2 and enter into a manifold marked N-2 and from which extends va or lines N-B into a manifold N-4 and rom the center of manifold N-4 extends pipe N-5 which connects with condensing coil N-6 immersed in the water tank P-l and extends from the cooling coil N-G by means of pipe N-7 into receiving tank R-l and on this receiving tank R-l are positioned pressure relief valve R-Z, glass liquid level gauge R-3 and draw-off valve R-4 and gas valve R-5. v

S-l is a line extending from manifold N-2 and enters manifold S-Q which extends into tank @-5 and @-6 and on the manifold S--2 are positioned valves S-3 and S-4.

Describing' now the operation of the apparatus, the material to be treated is drawn from any suitable source of supply, not shown, and forced into the apparatus through the line H-l into the heating tubes B-l, and through these tubes, then through line K-l to manifold K-2, and into and through distilling tubes B-2. The volume of the oil to be maintained in the aplparatus is shown by one of the liquid leve vgauge glasses marked @-13, @-14, @-15 and @-16, the object bein to 'maintain suiiclent height of oil to thus orce it to readily iow to the suction side of the pum F-l. The amount of oil or raw materia fed into the apparatus will be controlled by valve H-Q and the residuum and carbon Wlthdrawn from the apparatus will be controlled by valves @-10 and @-ll. The circulating oil passes from the top to the bottom of the 'into manifold N-ll distilling tubes marked 2 through manifold @-1 and @-2, into either or both of the tanks @-5 and @-6, through these tanks and into suction lines @-7 and @-8 and into pum lF-l, and is forced out through line @-1 back into and through heating coils B-l, from which it is again discharged through line K-l and manifold K-2' back into the tops of the distilling tubes B-2, and through the lines etc., as already described. The excess carbon precipitated out of the oil will be precipitated from theoil as the same passes down through the distilling tubes lB-Q, and passes through tanks @-5 and @-6, owing to the stream of oil passing through the tubes B-Q and tanks @-5 and @-6 at a much slower rate than that at which it Will pass through the rest of the apparatus. The carbon precipitated out in the tubes marked B-Q, manifold @-l and @-2, will be more or less Washed out of the same by the dow of the oil and which will also tend to wash it into the tanks @-5 and @-6 and there, along with the carbon precipitated out of the oil in these tanks, Will have a tendency to settle to the bottom of said tanks and which may be drawn od from said tanks along with more .or less of the residuum throu h the drawod line @-9. Tanks @-5 an @--6 are connected up in this way so that either may cut oif by the closing of the proper 'valves and the tank cleaned. v For instance,

tank @-6 may be cut out ofthe apparatus by the closing of valves @-4, @-11 and @-19, D-3 and S-4 and then the manhole head @-17 taken o' and the tank cleaned. This can be done without stopping the operation of the rest of the plant. Line D-l yis for carrying o' any gases or vapors that may accumulate in the top of these tanks. The vapors generated and liberated in the distilling tubes B-2 While the heated oil is passing there-through, pass up through said distilling tubes into vapor lines N-l into los manifold N-2 up through'vapor line N-3 and from there through the line N-5 down through the water cooled condensing coil N- and a v condensed oil is collected in tank R-l along with the incondensable gases, the latter being drawn oif through the valve R- while the distillates are drawn od' through the valve R-4, both can be drawn od either intermittently or continuously.

The vapors that are condensed in the vapor lines N-l and N-3 and in the manifold N-Q and N-t are returned directly to the settling tanks @-5 and @-6 instead of back into and through the inclined tubes B-2.

It will be seen that this method rovides a process for automatically and continuously treating petroleum for the production of lower boiling point products wherein the heatin is done in what are known as heat- ;nugl tu which are practically maintained or more inclined tubes of larger diameter, i which are positionedat an angle and are but partly filledA with oil, and in which tubes the oil, as it comes from the heating tubes and passes down through the sloping distillin tubes, gives up more or less vapor, and t e unvaporized portion is returned for fulther heating treatment to the heating co s.

lt will be further seen that by slanting the distilling tubes to the proper angle the flow of oil from the top of the tubes to the bottom can be made sufficiently rapid, and the carbon-settling tanks can be made of such diameter, as to permit a sufficient volume of oil toV supply the pump to its full capacity, and 2o yet the mass movement of the oil through these carbon settling tanks will be suciently slow sol as to allow more or less carbon to settle out; and by having the heating tubes of the proper smaller diameter in proportion to the capacity of the pumpv and How of oil to said pump, the velocity at which the oil will pass through said heating tubes will be controlled, which velocity will tend to prevent the free carbon contained and produced in 3@ the oil from settling out in these tubes; and this same oil, when it passes through the larger sized distilling tubes, owing to their larger size will be much slower, and as it passes through the carbon 'depositing tanks it will be still slower, hence more or less of the free carbon will be precipitated out in both of these places, and that carbon precipitated 'out in the large distilling tubes will be washed out of these tubes into the carbon 40 tanks by the dow of oil, and as the oil comes from these carbon settling tanks, its free carbon content will have been reduced and the oil subjected to a further treatment in the small tubes, and the above cycle of operation repeated continuousl The velocity at which the oil should e forced through the heatin tubes will be governed by different conditions, which condltions are easily established by a trial oil run of any particular oil W desired treated. For instance, should only 10 per cent of the oil under treatment be converted to low boiling point products, the velocity of the oil while passing through the heating tubes need not be as great as where a '55 higher percentage of the same oil is converted to low boiling oint products. Then, again, if a heavy dist11late' is used, the velocity in the distllling tubes need not be as high as in the case Where a heavy residuum is used.

It will'be understood that the method of determining the angle at which the distilling coils should be placed will depend, first, upon the velocity at which the oil is to be passed through the heating coils, and, second upon,

of oil which oil is then passed into 011e the ratio of the diameter of the heating coil to the diameter of the distillin tubes. The gravity flow ofthe oil from t e top to the bottom of the distlling coil must be sufliciently rapid so as to erlaal inI volumeI the amount of oil that will passed through the heating coils at the desired velocity.

It will be further seen that the distillates that are condensed in aerial condensers marked N-l and N-3 and manifold N-2 and N-4 instead of being returned to the tubes .marked B-2 will be returned directly to the carbon settling tanks and subjected to a further treatment and thus the oil low ing down through the tubes B-2 will not be reduced in temperature as it would be if the condensed vapors from the reflux condensers were returned to these tubes B-2. This condensate flowing into the carbon settling tanks C-5 and C--6 will act to thin out the oil contained therein and thus facilitate the settling out of the carbon in the oil. All of these are of great commercial advantage.

The entire system is subjected to a vapor pressure of from 50 to 500 pounds per s uare inch, although the pressure will'vary wit the conditions. The temperature of the oil used will preferably vary from 500 to 1000o Fahr., though these limits are notl arbitrary in either case. l have found, however, that a res sure of from to 200 pounds will, wor ing on a clean -gas oil from mid-continent field. r

give satisfactory results. The temperature will vary to some extent as the speed of the reaction is hastened or slowed. The higher the temperature, the faster the reaction. Any oil of the character last referred to with a pressure of pounds an oil temperature of 750 to 800 in the heating zone was satisfactory.

l claim as my invention:

l. In an apparatus of the character described, a combination with a heating means for containing the oil seatedin a heating zone, of vapor chambers downwardly inclined and positioned in said heating zone, a. preliminary condenser connected to the vapor chambers, connections between said condenser and inlet side of the heating means and a second condenser connected to the vapor chambers, and means for regulating the flow of vapors or gases through the condensers to maintain a pressure on the system.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a heating means for carrying the oil seated in a heating zone, of a plurality of inclined vapor tubes positioned in said heating zone, a connecting line between the heating means and the upper end of the vapor tubes, a preliminary condenser connected to the vapor tubes, connections between said condenser and inlet side of the heating means -and a second condenser connected to the vapor tubes and means for regulating the flow of vapors or gases through the condensers to maintain a pressure on the system.

3. In an4 apparatus of the character described,'the combination with a means for passing the oil through a heating zone, orJ inclined vaporizing means connected thereto, collecting means connected to the vaporing means adapted to permit the settling or 'inclined vaporizing means connected thereto also mounted inthe heating zone, collecting means connected to the vaporizing means adapted to permit the settling of the cracked oil therein, means for drawing of the residual product, and means for'returning the lighter ends to the heating means for retreatment.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a means for passing the oil tlirough a heating zone of inclined vaporizing means connected thereto, collectin means connected to the vaporizing means a apted to permit the settling of the cracked oil-therein, means for drawin o' the residual product, means for returnmg the lighten ends to the heating means for retreatment, and means for controlling the relative temperatures of the heating and vaporizing zones..

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a means for passing the oil through' a heating zone, of mclined vaporizing means connected therey to, alternate collectingl means connected to .the vaporizing means ada ted to permit the settling of -the cracked o' therein, separate means for drawing off the residual portion and for returning the lighter ends to the heati ing means for retreatment, and valves for cutting out the alternate collecting means.

7. In an apparatusof the character described, the combination with a means for passing the oil through a heating zone, of inclined vaporizing means connected thereto, collectin means connected to the vaporizing means a apted to permit the settling of the cracked oil therein, vapor leads from the vaporizing means and the settling means,

1 y and separate leads connected to said 'collecting means for removing the residual oil and returning the lighter oil for retreatment in the heating zone. Y i

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a means for passing the oil through a heating zone, of in clined va orizing means whereby the cracked oil is fihshed therethrough during vaporization, collectin means connected thereto for .settling the resldual oil. separate draw-off means from said collecting means for removing the residual oil and returnin the lighter oil to be retreated, vapor leads om the vaporizing and settling means for drawing oli" the released vapors.

ln an apparatus of the' character described, the combination with a means for passing the oil through a heating zone, oi inclined vaporizing means whereby the cracked oil is dushed therethrough during vaporization, duplicate collecting means connected thereto :for settling the residual oil, separate draw-a? means from said collecting means for removing the residual oil and returning the lighter oil to be retreated, and

means for cutting the separate collecting means in and ont of the system.

10. ln an apparatus for converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons, the combination with a heating zone tor crapking the oil, of a plurality of relatively large vapor chambers downwardly inclined, seated in a separate lire zone, vapor lines for removing the vapors from the vapor chambers, a redux condensin means inter osed in the vapor lines, means for Areturnin the condensate and unvaporized oil from t e redux condensing'means to the heating zone, a final condenser for condensing the reuxedvapors and means for maintaining a pressure on the entire system. I

11. In an apparatus for converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons., the combination with a plurality of relatively small tubes mounted in the heating zone for cracking the oil, of a plurality of vapor chambers downwardly inclined connected therewith,

refluxing and condensin means for treating the vapors evolved in t e vapor chambers, and means for combining the lreiux condensate withthe unvaporized-oil, settling means connected to said vapor chambers for removing the residual substance, and means for returning the clean oil from the settling means to the heating zone, a final condenser for condensing the uncondensed vapors, and

means formaintaining a vapor pressure on v the system.l y

12. In an apparatus for converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons, the combination with a heating means for raising the oil tol a cracking temperature, ofa plurality of relatively large vapor chambers downwardly inclined, positioned in a heated zone, wherein the heated oil is coursed downwardly therethrough, vapor lines for removing the vapors evolved in the vaporizing chambers, reflux condensing means interposed in the vapor lines, draw-oil and settling means connected with the vapor chambers for removing the unvaporized oil therefrom and relieving it of residual substances, means for returning the unvaporized oil and reflux condensate to the heating means for retreatment, and means for maintaining a regulated pressure upon the system.

13. In an apparatus :for converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons, the combination with a heating means for raising the oil to a cracking temperature, of a plurality of relatively large vapor chambers positioned in an inclined position in a heated zone, means for passing the oil from the heating means and introducing it to the raised ends of the vapor chambers, vapor lines for removing the vapors evolved in the vapor chambers, reflux condensing means interposed in the vapor lines, alternate settling means connected with the vapor chambers for relieving the unvaporized oil of its residual content, means for cutting out either of said settling means from the ,system and means for returning the oil from a settling means to the heating means for retreatment.

14. In an apparatus for converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons, the combination with a plurality of relatively small tubes mounted in a heating zone for cracking the oil, of a plurality of vapor chambers downwardly inclined connected therewith, reiuxing and condensing means for treating the vapors evolved in the vapor chambers, and means for combining the redux condensate with the unvaporized oil, settling means for removing the residual substance, and means for returning the clean oil from the settling means to the heating zone.

15. In an apparatus for converting heavy into lighter hydrocarbons, the combination with an elongated passageway of restricted cross-section mounted in a heating zone, of a plurality of interconnected vapor chambers in the final one of which residual oil collects, reflux condensing means, means for conveyl ing vapors from. each of said vapor chambers to said reflux condensing means, final condensing means, means for diluting residual oil in said final vapor chamber with reflux condensate separated from the vapors, means for removing heavy residual substance from the apparatus, and means for returning clean diluted residual oil to said passageway, to be again passed through the apparatus.

. CARBON P. DUBBS. 

